Drum



Sept. 14, 1937. w F* L UDwlG. 2,092,980

DRUM l Filed May 2, 1936 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Sept. 14, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRUM of Indiana.

Application May 2, 1936, Serial No. 77,479

8 Claims.

My invention relates to drums, and especially to drum head tensioning devices.

An object of the invention is to provide a drum head tensioning device wherein the tension rods,

or screws, are universally mounted within a casing and connected with a pair of spring pressed nuts.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved drum head tensioning device in which the parts are wholly concealed within a casing connected with the drum shell.

Other and more specific objects of the invention are mentioned and described herein.

'I'he invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation of a drum showing one drum head tensioning device only in which my invention is embodied, attached to a drum fragment;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the complete drum head tensioning device only;

Figure 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a perspective of one of the tension screw nuts.

Similar numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views on the drawing.

Referring to the details of the drawing, the

numeral I indicates a fragment of a cylindrical drum shell which may be built in any suitable manner, Well known in the art. Numeral 2 indicates the usual skin drum head which may be secured to the hoops 3 in any suitable manner, said hoops being arranged about the ends of the drum shell I. The usual pair of counter hoops, or rings, 4 are arranged to overhang the hoops 3, as is well known in this art, each of said counter hoops carrying a plurality of apertured brackets, or lugs, 5, also well known, in which the outer ends of the polygonal headed tension screws, or rods, 6 are mounted, traversing the apertures 'I therein.

The tensioning screws 6 extend to the interior of and are adjustably anchored within a casing 8, as herein described, the latter, as illustrated, being preferably a casting made of relatively light weight metal. The casing 8 may be formed with a top wall 9, opposed side walls I0 and II, and the two end walls I2 and I3, also the two spaced interior transverse walls, or partitions, I4 and I5, whereby end compartments I6 and I'I and a medial compartment I8 are provided within said casing. The end walls I2 and I3 of the casing 8 are apertured at I9 and 20, respectively, and

the interior partitions, or Walls, I4 and I5 are apertured at 2| and 22, respectively, the latter mentioned apertures aligning with said end wall apertures.

The partition apertures 2l and 22 carry there- 5 in the polygonal headed nuts 23 and 24 loosely, or universally, mounted therein, and the tensioning screws 6 extend through the casing end wall openings I9 and 20 and are threaded into and through said nuts and into the medial compart- 10 ment I8 of the casing. The nuts 23 and 24 are held against rotation by the polygonal head which engages one of the casing side walls I0 and II. The end wall openings I9 and 20 are made large enough to permit of universal movement of the 15 screws 8 therein, and the inner ends of said screws, which are arranged within the compartment I8, are encompassed by the coil compression spring 25 which seats against a cylindrical reduced portion on the nuts 23 and 24. The function of the spring 25 is to hold the nuts within their sockets 2l and 22 even though the screws 6 may be removed therefrom, thereby facilitating the assembly of said screws with said nuts.

The casing 8 may be fastened to the drum shell I by a pair of headed screws 2B and 21 which are threaded into the casing partitions I4 and I5 through suitable apertures in the shell wall. It will be evident from the foregoing that the casing 8 presents an artistic exterior appearance and is wholly free from conditions which might injure the hands or garments of the operator, for the threads of the screws 6 and the nuts 23 and 24 are wholly concealed within said casing.

I claim:

1, A tensioning device for drums comprising, in combination, a casing for attachment to the drum shell, said casing being provided with apertured end walls and a pair of apertured partitions disposed interiorly of the casing, a non-r0- tatable nut arranged in the aperture of each interior partition of said casing, and two screws cooperating with said two nuts and extending through the casing end wall apertures and adapted to cooperate with the counter hoops of the drum.

2. A tensioning device for drums comprising, in combination, a casing for attachment to the drum shell, said casing being provided with apertured end walls and a pair of apertured partitions disposed interiorly of the casing, a non rotatable nut universally mounted in each interior parti- V tion aperture, and two screws cooperating with said two nuts and extending through and universally arranged within said casing end wall apertures, and adapted to cooperate with the drum counter hoops.

3. A tensioning device for drums comprising, in combination, a casing for attachment to the drum shell, said casing being provided with apertured end walls and a pair of apertured partitions disposed interiorly of the casing, a pair of spring pressed non rotatable nuts arranged in the casing partition apertures, and two screws cooperating with said two nuts and extending through the casing end wall apertures and adapted to cooperate with the drum counter hoops.

4. A tensioning device for drums comprising, in combination, a casing for attachment to the drum shell, said casing being provided with two end compartments and a medial compartment, said compartments providing a pair of interior transverse apertured partitions, a non rotatable nut mounted in each transverse partition aperture, and two screws cooperating with said two nuts and extending through said casing end compartments into the casing medial compartment and adapted to cooperate with the drum counter hoops.

5. A tensioning device for drums comprising, in combination, a casing for attachment to the drum shell, said casing being provided with two end compartments and a medial compartment, said compartments providing a pair of transverse apertured partitions disposed intericrly of the casing, a non rotatable nut universally mounted in each partition aperture, means for retaining said nuts in juxtaposition, and two screws'cooperating with said nuts and extending through said casing end compartments into the medial compartment thereof and adapted to cooperate with the drum counter hoops.

l6. A tensioning device for drums comprising, in combination, a` casing for attachment to the drum shell, said casing being provided with two end compartments and a medial compartment, said compartments providing a pair of transverse apertured partitions, a non rotatable nut universally mounted in each transverse partition aperture, spring means for retaining said nuts in juxtaposition, and two screws cooperating with said nuts and extending through said casing end compartments into the medial compartment thereof and adapted to cooperate with the drum counter hoops.

7. A tensioning device for drums comprising a casing for attachment to the drum shell, said casing being provided with a pair of interior apertured nut abutments disposed intermediate the casing extremities, a non rotatable nut universally mounted in each of said nut abutment apertures, two screws cooperating with said two nuts, said screws extending to the exterior of said casing and adapted to cooperate with the drum counter hoops, and spring means for retaining said nuts in said abutment apertures.

8. A tensioning device for drums comprising a casing for attachment to the drum shell, said casing being provided with a pair of apertured nut abutments disposed interiorly of the casing, extending transversely thereof and positioned intermediate the casing extremities, a non rotatable nut universally mounted in each of said nut abutment apertures, and two screws cooperating with said two nuts, said screws extending to the exterior of said Casing and adapted to cooperate with the drum counter hoops.

WILLIAM F. LUDWIG. 

